Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, and Disney Cruise Line are in for some big changes! At the 2024 D23 Disney Fan Event, Disney Experiences Chairman Josh D’Amaro unveiled new rides, lands, and cruise ships that are in the works and are slated to debut over the next several years.
But exactly when will these new additions be available for guests? Use the following timelines to help plan your next Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise line vacations.
Each resort’s timeline is broken up by year with confirmed projects we know will take place during those years. Each destination will also have a “No Determined Timeline” portion where we know the project is happening, but no timeline was shared as of this writing. I’ll take a stab at my best educated guess for those undetermined timelines, but of course these are GUESSES and NOT actual timelines!
This article will be updated as we learn more from Disney regarding these projects. Keep checking back!
Walt Disney World
2024
- Fall 2024: Work begins on Tropical Americas land in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- This land will take the place of DinoLand U.S.A. While initial work begins, fans will be able to get one final ride in on Dinosaur. It sounds like the attraction will remain open a little longer while the rest of DinoLand closes in phases for work to begin. A closing date for Dinosaur has not been announced. Tropical Americas is scheduled to open in 2027 (see below).
2025
- Winter 2025 (date TBD): Zootopia: Better Together debuts at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- This show will be in the Tree of Life Theater, taking the place of “It’s Tough to Be a Bug”
- Summer 2025 (date TBD): Disney Starlight debuts at Magic Kingdom
- This will be Magic Kingdom’s first nighttime parade in several years.
- Summer 2025 (Date TBD): Villains live production opens at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- This show will take place in Sunset Showcase, replacing Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy
- “The show will feature appearances by dozens of the most infamous evildoers, with fiendish foes Cruella de Vil, Captain Hook and Maleficent each breaking through the glass to take the stage in live production numbers.”
- Date TBD: Pirates of the Caribbean-themed tavern opens at Magic Kingdom
- Date TBD: Spaceship Earth Lounge opens at EPCOT
- Date TBD: The new version of Test Track opens at EPCOT
- Date(s) TBD: Construction begins on Monsters Inc. land at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- Date(s) TBD: Construction begins on reimagined section of Frontierland. This section, comprised of Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer Island, will be transformed into a new area of the land inspired by the Cars franchise.
- In a press release, Disney stated, “Ahead of work revving into high gear next year, guests will have plenty of time to experience the charm and nostalgia of Frontierland as it is today.” A timeline of when this area will be completed has not been announced.
2026
- Date TBD: Mandalorian and Grogu mission is added to Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood STudios. My guess is that this change will happen around May, when the Mandalorian film is released.
2027
- Date TBD: Tropical Americas land opens at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
- When complete, the land will feature three new attractions: an Indiana Jones ride (taking the place of Dinosaur), an Encanto-themed ride, and a carousel.
No Determined Timeline (likely 2028 and beyond):
- Opening timeline for the Monsters Inc. land in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2025, and I would expect completion sometime a few years later, not until 2028 or 2029.
- Opening timeline for the Cars-themed re-imagined section of Frontierland. Construction begins in 2025, so, like Monsters Inc. at Hollywood Studios, I would expect completion to be closer to 2028 or 2029 (and that’s being very optimistic). Remember, it took Disney five years to build TRON Lightcycle/Run (granted, the pandemic got in the middle of that).
- Construction timeline or opening timeline for the Villains land coming to Magic Kingdom. We got the least amount of information at the Disney Experiences Showcase with only one piece of concept art. My guess is this land is several years away, likely not to be completed until at least 2029 or even 2030 (likely a couple of years after Cars) I would expect to hear more details about this land at the next D23 Fan Event in 2026.
PLANNING A DISNEY WORLD VACATION IN 2025? READ ABOUT WHAT CHANGES ARE COMING AND HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP.
Disneyland Resort
2024
- November 15: Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens at Disneyland Park.
2025
- Date(s) TBD: Disneyland’s 70th Anniversary Celebration takes place. Disneyland’s actual 70th anniversary is July 17, 2025. I’m guessing this celebration will last several months to upwards of a year, starting around spring and running through at least the end of the calendar year (the 60th Anniversary Celebration ran from May 2015 through September 2016). There also has not been any announcement (yet) of what will accompany the 70th anniversary, like a new fireworks show, parade, etc.
- Date TBD: Walt Disney: A Magical Life debuts at Main Street Opera House in Disneyland Park.
- This show will feature a brand-new Audio-Animatronic figure of Walt Disney. After the show’s debut run, it will play in rotation with Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln.
2026
- Date(s) TBD: Ground breaking takes place for the first ever ride themed to the Pixar film Coco, coming to Disney California Adventure.
- Date TBD: Mandalorian and Grogu Mission is added to Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland Park. My guess is that this change will happen around May, when the Mandalorian film is released.
No Determined Timeline (likely 2027 and beyond)
- Opening date for Coco ride at Disney California Adventure. Construction begins in 2026, and depending on where in California Adventure it goes, it may take at least a couple of years before it’s completed. It’s probably a safe guess to say 2028, but it could be pushed to 2029.
- Construction timeline or opening timeline for Avatar land coming to Disney California Adventure. My guess is construction will begin sometime in late 2025 or early 2026 after the 70th Anniversary Celebration. Depending on where this land goes in California Adventure, they may need to wait until a new easter gateway garage is completed before construction can begin, so this project may not be complete until 2030.
One general observation I want to make about Disneyland Resort: I do not expect any ground breaking to take place until after the 70th Anniversary Celebration is complete. Disney likely wants to keep the parks as “complete” as possible with little to no construction or refurbishments happening (this is why there are so many temporary ride closures happening around Disneyland this year). When it comes to major projects like the Avatar land or anything possibly related to DisneylandForward, I would not expect to see any forward progress until at least 2026.
REVIEW ALL OF THE THEME PARK AND CRUISE LINE ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM D23: THE ULTIMATE DISNEY FAN EVENT.
Disney Cruise Line
2024
- December 21: Disney Treasure embarks on its maiden voyage
2025
- Date TBD: Disney Adventure embarks on its maiden voyage
- The Disney Adventure is the acquired ship Disney purchased that will home port in Singapore and sail throughout Southeast Asia.
- November 2025: Disney Destiny embarks on its maiden voyage
READ MORE DETAILS ON WHAT’S COMING TO DISNEY CRUISE LINE IN 2024 AND 2025.
2027 and Beyond
- 2029 (Date TBD): Unnamed cruise ship embarks on its maiden voyage in Japan.
- This will be the first Disney Cruise Line ship to be home ported in Japan. This ship is in partnership with Oriental Land Company (OLC), the entity that owns and operates Tokyo Disney Resort.
- Date(s) TBD 2027-2031: Four additional vessels join the Disney Cruise Line fleet.
- Little details were given at the time these four ships were announced, including if they would be part of a new class of ships, what their names would be, etc.
As I stated earlier, if I had any speculation for when projects without announced timelines would occur, those are exactly that: speculation. As we hear more concrete information from Disney, I will update the timeline to reflect those changes. Be sure to check back in the coming months and years as we enter into what is sure to be an exciting six to seven years of growth and development at Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney Cruise Line.
It’s all a part of that $60 billion investment in theme parks and cruises announced by Disney CEO Bob Iger, and with DisneylandForward approved, there may be even more announcements coming down the pike.
PACK THESE PARK BAG ESSENTIALS ON YOUR NEXT DISNEY VACATION.
